THE VANITY GROUP HOSTS INAUGURAL PRE-GRAMMY GRIT BEFORE THE GRAM HONORING BLACK WOMEN IN MUSIC

THE VANITY GROUP HOSTS INAUGURAL PRE-GRAMMY GRIT BEFORE THE GRAM HONORING BLACK WOMEN IN MUSIC

(from left): SHARI BRYANT, AFRIKA LANDER, SIMONE MITCHELL, ETHOIPIA HABTEMARIAM, KARLEEN ROY, LAURIEANN GIBSON, CLAUDINE JOSPEH, CARA DONATTO

THE NIGHT CELEBRATED THE INFLUENTIAL BLACK WOMEN BEHIND THE MUSIC DURING 2020 GRAMMY AWARDS WITH SYLVIA RHONE, ETHIOPIA HABTEMARIAM, LAURIEANN GIBSON AND MORE

MUSIC’S MOST IMPACTFUL LABEL EXECUTIVES, PRODUCERS, AND DIRECTORS GATHERED TO HONOR YVETTE NOEL-SCHURE AND NIJA CHARLES

GRIT BEFORE THE GRAM: THE SOUNDTRACK OF OUR SOLIDARITY kicked off the 2020 Grammy Awards with 150 of the most notable and game-changing women in music gathering in The West Hollywood Edition, Los Angeles to honor Black women across the industry--the luminaries, savants, creatives, and change agents--who push limits, raise the bar, and make the music business go round.

Created and produced by Karleen Roy’s (Founder and CEO) The Vanity Group, an event production agency working with today’s most high-profile stars and brands, GRIT BEFORE THE GRAM had sights set on unifying and celebrating the impact generations of bridge-builders and game-shifters have made on the industry. By highlighting the key figures in music who are often grinding in the background, GRIT BEFORE THE GRAM amplifies their voices and showcases the value of their brilliance. The inaugural GRIT BEFORE THE GRAM honored Yvette Noel-Schure, Founder of the Schure Media Group (The Bridge Award), and Nija Charles, 7x Grammy-nominated Songwriter and Producer (The Spotlight Award) and was attended by music’s heavy hitters - dubbed “The Alliance,” including Sylvia Rhone (Chairman & CEO, EPIC Records), Ethiopia Habtemariam (President, Motown Records), Laurieann Gibson (Choreographer & Creative Director), Shari Bryant (Co-President, Roc Nation), Cara Donatto (EVP, Head of Media Strategy & Communications - Interscope Geffen, A&M Records), Juliette Jones (EVP of Urban Promotion, Atlantic Records), Claudine Joseph (Chief Operating Officer, LL Cool J Inc.), Afrika Lander (Marketing Executive) and Simone Mitchell (Artist Manager, Quality Control Music).